Trolley-wire support.



C. G. ETTE.

TROLLEY WIRE SUPPORT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 4,1908.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909 CHARLES G. ETTE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO ETTE INVESTMENT COMPANY, OF

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

TROLLEY-WIRE SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

Application filed May 4, 1908. Serial N 0. 430,767.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Gr. ETTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trolley- Wire Supports, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a view showing several of my improved trolley wire supports in operative position; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of said supports, the movable jaw and the clamping nut being separated from the integral jaw on the shank of the support to more clearly illustrate the construction of said parts.

This invention relates to supports or hangers for trolley wires, and practically to that type of trolley wire supports which are used in catenary systems.

One object of my invention is to provide a trolley wire support comprising a shank provided at its upper end with an integral member which hooks over the wire that sustains the support and at its lower end with an integral member which forms part of a. device that clamps a trolley wire.

Another object of my invention is to provide a trolley wire support comprising a shank provided with an integral jaw, a cooperating movable aw, and means for forcing said jaws together to clamp a trolley wire arranged between them.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, 1 designates a shank, preferably formed of malleable iron, and provided at its upper end with integral members which are adapted to engage a wire A that is supported by poles, not shown. In the construction herein shown, the shank 1 is provided at its upper end with an integral horizontally disposed head 2 having a pair of upwardly projecting lugs 3 at one of its edges and a lug 4 on its other edge arranged intermediate the lugs 3, the intermediate lug 4 having a laterally projecting portion 49 which extends over the wire A intermediate lug l. The cooperating lugs 3 and 4: prevent the shank 1 from turning or twisting relatively to the wire A and if de sired, the lugs 3 can be bent laterally to engage the wire after it has been arranged between said lugs.

At the lower end of the shank 1 is an integral jaw 5 which cooperates with the movable aw 6, to clamp a trolley wire B, the trolley wire herein shown being provided with grooves into which the ends of said jaws extend. The shank has a half-round portion 5 above the integral jaw 5 at the lower end of said shank, and the movable jaw 6 has a half-round shank 6 which cooperates with the half-round portion 5 of the shank l to form a cylindrical shank. These half-round portions 5 and 6 are provided with external screw-threads on which a clamping nut is mounted to move said jaws toward each other and thus cause them to clamp the trolley wire B. On the inside face of the halfround portion 5 of the shank 1 is a longitudinally extending rib 7 that extends into a recess 8 formed in the inner face of the halfround shank of the movable j aw 6 and said rib is provided at its lower end with an integral lug 7 that projects through a slot 8 in the movable jaw so as to guide said jaw and prevent it from moving vertically relatively to the integral jaw 5 on the shank 1. I also prefer to provide the shank 1 with integral laterally projecting flanges 9, one of which extends over the upper end of the shank (5 of the movable jaw so as to prevent said jaw from moving upwardly. The clamping nut which is mounted on the screw-threaded shanks of the jaws 5 and 6 consists of two semi-circular-shaped members 10 and 11 provided with internal screw-threads and laterally projecting flanges 10 and 11', respectively, through which fastening devices extend to secure said members together. Preferably, the flanges on the member 10 are provided with integral pins 12 which pass through holes 13 in the flanges of the member 11, the ends of said pins being upset so as to permanently connect the members 10 and 11 together.

A trolley wire support of this description comprises only four separate parts that are formed fr m cast metal so that the device can be produced at a low cost. No machinethat is interposed beween the lugs 3 and the work is required in manufacturing the device as the screwthrea'ds on the clamping nutand on the shanks of the jaws are produced in the operation of casting these parts. The fastening devices which connect the two members of the clamping nut together are even cast integral with one of said members so that the device can be assembled quickly. W] hen the clamping jaws engage a trolley wire the movable jaw 6 will lie at an angle relatively to the jaw 5 and the shanks of said jaws will cooperate to produce a tapered screw-threaded shank which increases gradually in diameter from its upper end toward its lower end. Consequently, the pressure of the jaws 0n the trolley wire will be increased as the clamping nut moves downwardly toward said jaws.

While the device herein illustrated and described is intended to be used principally for supporting a trolley wire, it will, of course, be obvious that it could be used for other purposes without departing from the spirit of my invention. 1 also wish it to be understood that I do not consider my invention limited to the exact construction herein shown in which the shank is provided at its upper end with a head 2 having lugs that engage the supporting wire, for, if desired, the shank 1 could be provided at its upper end with jaws of the same construction as those at the lower end of the shank for connecting the shank to the supporting wire A.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device for the purpose described, comprising a cast metal shank provided at its upper end with a head having integral lugs that lie on opposite sides of a supporting member, one of said lugs having a laterally projecting portion that extends over the supporting member, an integral jaw at the lower end of said shank that is adapted to engage a wire, a coeperating movable jaw, and means for causing said jaws to clamp a wire; substantially as described.

2. A trolley wire support comprising a cast metal shank provided at its upper end with an integral transversely extending head, integral lugs on said head which lie on opposite sides of a supporting wire, one

of said lugs having a flange that hooks over the wlre, and means at the lower end of said shank for clamping a trolley wire; substantially as described. 7

3. A trolley wire support provided with a shank, a rigid jaw formed integral with the lower end of said shank, said shank being provided with a screw threaded portion above said jaw, a cooperating separable jaw provided with a screw-threaded shank, and a nut mounted on said shanks for forcing said jaws together; substantially as described.

4. A trolley wire support provided with a shank, a rigid jaw formed integral with the lower end of said shank, said shank be-.

ing provided with a screw-threaded portion above said jaw, a cooperating separable jaw provided with a screw-threaded shank, a nut mounted on said shanks for forcing said jaws together, and a laterally projecting lug on the shank for preventing said movable jaw from moving vertically relatively to the integral jaw; substantially as described.

5. A trolley wire support provided with A a shank, an integral jaw on the lower end of said shank, a coeperating separable jaw, a laterally projecting device on said shank which extends into a groove in said movable jaw so as to prevent it from moving laterally or vertically relatively to said shank,

and means for causing said jaws to clamp a trolley wire that is arranged between them; substantially as described.

6. A trolley wire support provided with a shank having a half-round screw-threaded portion, an integral jaw on said shank, a cooperating movable jaw having a half-round screw-threaded shank, a clamping nut surrounding said shanks for moving said jaws toward each other, and a lon itudinally extending rib on the shank 0t said support which extends into a groove or recess formed in the inner face of the shank of the movable jaw; substantially as described. r

7. A trolley wire support provided with a shank having a screw-threaded portion, an integral jaw on said shank, a longitudinally extending rib on said shank provided with a laterally projecting lug, a flange on said shank above the upper end of said rib, a movable jaw provided with a shank having a groove for receiving said rib and a slot through which the lug on said rib projects, and a clamping nut surrounding the shank of said movable aw and the screw-threaded portion of the shank of'said support; substantially as described.

8. A trolley wire support provided with a shank having a screw-threaded portion, a rigid jaw on said shank, a coeperating movable jaw provided with a screw-threaded shank, means on said shank for preventing the movable jaw from moving laterally or 'round screw-threaded shank, a clamping'nut surrounding said half round screw-threaded portions and consisting of two cast metal members one of which is provided with integral rivets that pass through openings in signature in the presence of two Witnesses, the other member, and means formed inthis twenty-ninth day of April 1908.

te ral With the shank of said support for preventing said movable jaw from moving CHARLES ETTE 5 laterally or Vertically; substantially as de- Vitnesses:

scribed. VVALTER CLARENCE RAITHEL,

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my EDWARD SCHWIDDE. 

